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"This is the day we've been looking forward to and working toward," Booth said Saturday. "Because of our location along the parade route and across from the festival, we knew we'd have a captive audience."

Booth said that while opening your own business is terrifying, being a part of a community like Middletown makes it worth the struggles and stress.

"It's Middletown's day to shine, and we hope it's ours, too," she said. "So far, it's been going well. We've had a steady flow of people check us out."

The parade, which typically has 50-60 groups, is one of the highlights of the annual Middletown Olde-Tyme Peach Festival, now in its 24th year.

The festival has continued to grow right along with Middletown's population and draws more than 25,000 people annually. Organizers wouldn't speculate on the turnout for this year's event before it concluded, but they said 27,000 people attended last year and that they were hoping for the same number in 2017.

The festival serves as the main fundraiser for the Middletown Historical Society. Volunteers from the Middletown High School Band Boosters were at Main and Broad streets selling peaches and festival T-shirts to raise money for the historical society.

Barbara Wessel, a member of the Middletown Historical Society board and a member of the Peach Festival Committee, said it takes a lot of money to keep the museum doors open and the exhibits running.

Austin was at the festival with his father's girlfriend, Bernadette Devine, of Middletown. She, too, was attending for the first time.

"It was really fun to see," she said. "We saw a lot of friends we knew in the parade, which made it even better. This is the last big community event before school starts, and so far it's been fun being here."

Mike and Sherry Wright of Smyrna have been to the parade the past four years. They were excited to bring their young daughter, Piper, to this year's parade.

"It's great to see the whole town come out and celebrate and come together," Mike said. "We've been the last four years, and we've enjoyed it each time. Some people [outside Middletown] don't even know the event is here. It's a good time."

During the 2016 parade, Middletown band member Jacob Wolf had to down a lot of water because of the hot, humid day. The percussionist said this year wasn't nearly as bad.

"It was a lot hotter last year," Wolf said. "It was a long walk, and you have to consistently use the right techniques while dealing with the heat. We did OK in the heat last year, but we were much better this year."

Temperatures at the start of the parade were in the low 80s. That wasn't the case last year, when parade-time temperatures were in the mid- to high 80s with high humidity. That took its toll on paradegoers.

Michael Schusteritsch, assistant chief of the Volunteer Hose Company of Middletown, said between 9:53 a.m. and 10:16 a.m. last year, there were six emergency calls in a two-block area that stopped the parade cold to allow paramedics to get to those who were overheated or overwhelmed.

He said from the first call to 12:30 p.m., there were 11 calls, with more calls coming in after the parade.

The fire company was prepared for the heat this year as five Gators with EMTs standing at the ready lined both sides of the parade route, while bicycle crews were mobile along the route.

"Fortunately, we had no calls during the parade," Schusteritsch said. "The parade was earlier, it isn't as hot and humid as last year and the crowds are thinner this year. I'll take that."

Each year, the peach festival offers food vendors, booths with crafts and vendors, exhibits and demonstrations, as well as emergency vehicles on display at the Volunteer Hose Company of Middletown.

One of the mainstays of the festival since 2001 has been Connection Community Church, which fills its parking lot with inflatables, games and children's activities and offers free water, snow cones and popcorn to any and all.

Alan and Kari Jones, pastors at Connection Community Church, said they jumped right in, giving out balloons the first year that said "Coming Soon."

Kari said a year after the church acquired its current space on Green Street across from the firehouse, the parking lot and the sanctuary were transformed with activities for the kids. She said they have grown each year since.

Allan said one of the reasons they jumped in feet first was they really wanted to be a part of the community from the start.

"We also like to give things away," he said. "God's love is free and unconditional, and we like to model that through events like this. We want to share God's love in a practical way and let people know it's with no strings attached."

Reach Jerry Smith at jsmith17@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JerrySmithTNJ.